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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771959">This</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarie_Fairy/pseuds/Sarie_Fairy'>Sarie_Fairy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fictober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Breakup, F/M, post iwtb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:34:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarie_Fairy/pseuds/Sarie_Fairy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>FICTOBER Day 2 - Prompt: “I can’t do this anymore”</p><p>Scully leaves the unremarkable house.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fox Mulder/Dana Scully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fictober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951573</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t do this anymore,” the sum total of her explanation in the end. At the end? More apt—a succinct summary of what she had tried to tell him, in so many ways over the years. </p><p>It was said through tears, just prior to the screen door slamming behind her, for what he feared was the last time. Slammed, not in emotion, but due to a loose hinge, promised to be fixed long ago.</p><p>Had all of her problems been reduce to that simple pronoun? <em>This.</em> Was Mulder <em>this</em>?  </p><p>Or was <em>this </em>her whole life? “I can’t do this anymore” —her utter existence. Did it include her too? Was she sick of herself? He knew about that. </p><p><em> Come back and listen.</em> <em>  ‘I can’t do this anymore, either.’ </em>  He could grab her hand, and they could disappear, have the door slam shut behind both of them—run away from all of <em>this </em>together.</p><p> </p><p>He knew it was a foolish notion. That ‘this’ was an adjective attached to a long, long list of things inextricably all chained to him. </p><p> </p><p>this lamp on in the office, noticed on the way up to bed</p><p>this morning - rising alone and eating cold toast at the kitchen table where they used to make love</p><p>this conversation—again</p><p>this silence</p><p>this obsession</p><p>this guilt</p><p>this lonely couch</p><p>lonely day</p><p>night </p><p>Christmas</p><p>birthday</p><p>Tuesday</p><p>this shower obscuring the sounds of sobbing</p><p>this heartache</p><p>this empty home</p><p>empty feeling </p><p>emptiness</p><p>this broken man she can not fix</p><p>this broken man it hurts to love</p><p>this <em>feeling </em></p><p>anymore</p><p> </p><p>...this, the sound of her car disappearing down the long, long driveway. </p><p> </p><p>This quiet.</p><p> </p><p>Mulder went and fetched his toolbox and set about fixing the hinge.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'll be posting something new each day in October for Fictober from this tumblr <a href="https://fictober-event.tumblr.com/post/628547358001594368/fictober-event-the-prompts-for-2020%22">prompt list</a>.</p><p>Subscribe to the series <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951573">here</a></p><p>Thank you for reading. Comments most welcome 💕</p></blockquote></div></div>
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